Project WUBAT
by Soul's Release
Summary: As the Universe, including every known dimension, begins to fall apart, the hopes of all lie with a team of rag-tag heroes. Through all of their flaws and strengths, they must work together to stop an overwhelmingly powerful entity from destroying everything. That is, if they don't kill each other first... Rated T for language, violence, adult humor, and heavy adventure. :D
1. Great Journeys Begins With A Single Step

**The year is 3255. The very fabric of reality is tearing and nobody has a way to stop it...  
The Council of Preservation has fallen, the Corruption, tore it asunder long ago...  
Now, the fate of everything rests in the hands of one young Life Preserver, obsessed over a fool's gambit, that he believes could save it all. Now, an hour from the start of his plan, he hopes to be able to halt the progress of the corruption, and maybe reverse it, but only the few people he has selected can do it.**

 **That's if they agree to help...**

* * *

 **-3255 Aboard the Surveyor class Preservation vessel, _Sanctuary_ -**

* * *

A lone man stood on a catwalk overlooking a large, metal, ring-shaped object. It had wires, hoses, and many different colored lights attached to it, as well as a few nearby liquid nitrogen tanks connected to it. The lights were red and steam was flowing out of a few places as it awaited its activation. The man was dressed in a dark brown, leather trench-coat with a yellow backpack slung across his back by a single thick strap, with a few odd tools hanging off of it. Under his coat was a matching pair of blue sweatpants and a blue tank top. A design of a double helix with a shield behind it was emblazoned on his shirt, and he also sported a pair of welding goggles atop his fiery red spiky cropped hair. The man sighed as he looked as his work, his topaz colored eyes full of sadness and regret, with a touch of hope.

"Something the matter, Dr. Flaine?" A voice called from his left.

The man turned to see a hologram of a young boy dressed in a simple black pair of shorts and a green t-shirt. The boy was smiling, though he looked concerned. Dr. Flaine grinned at the boy and shook his head.

"No, Drake. I'm fine..." In reality, Flaine was far from 'fine.' He was terrified. Terrified of what the future could hold for the Universe if he was unable to pull off his plan. Over the last 500 years the very fabric of reality had begun to break down. An enemy of all life, known only as The Corruption, had torn holes in hundreds of dimensions, causing them to eventually collapse and disappear. The Corruption would creep in like a shadow, slowly eating away at time and all matter within, until eventually the dimension it had invaded was unable to remain stable, then it would flee unnoticed and watch as the dimension's inhabitants were snuffed out as everything withing was turned into a massive vacuum that sucked in everything.

This had been how the Council of Preservation was formed. With the hope of saving as many as possible and sending them to new dimension to call home as they fought The Corruption. It was not to last however. Eventually, about 200 years ago, The Corruption had wormed its way to the dimension that the Council called home. It wasn't long after that it too disappeared completely. A few council members were able to escape and hide, Dr. Flaine being one of them, but for the most part, everything had been destroyed. Over the last 100 years, the young Doctor had spent an immeasurable amount of time working on a project that he hoped could work together to stop the end.

Now, it was time for that plan to be put into action. Minutes away from the activation of the 'Dimension Skipper,' as Flaine had called it, he was getting nervous. If he failed, then everything would be lost. Nothing would be able to stop The Corruption from destroying it all...

No pressure.

Dr. Flaine smiled as he looked at his AI friend. Drake had been with him for the last 50 years, helping him finalize the construction of the Jumper and overseeing the final preparations for the day when Flaine would enact his plan. Though at first, Drake was more than skeptical about the whole idea, he eventually gave in and assisted Flaine. While Flaine knew that his plan was a long shot, hell even insane, he had no other options. Every other plan he had come up with to stop the Corruption had proven a failure, leaving him to do the one thing a Life Preserver was told to **never do under any circumstance** , which was jumping between the dimensional barrier. He knew the risks, but he also knew that if he didn't the Corruption would end it all.

"Dr. Flaine? The Jumper is ready for activation." Drake said as he took a few steps closer to the man.

Flaine shook himself from his thoughts and looked down at Drake. "Okay then. Start the sequence," He began walking away to prepare, but stopped quickly and turned back to the AI. "And please make sure you have the coordinates set correctly this time. I don't want a repeat of what happened to the apple we sent through during testing."

Drake sighed and crossed his arms as he glared at Flaine. "That was one time. How was I supposed to know it would be sent back like that?"

"Regardless, I don't want to come back a burnt, smoldering pile of ash." Flaine said as he walked away.

Drake grumbled and pulled up a holographic display as he activated the Jumper. "Might do your brain some good..." he said under his breath.

* * *

It was a few minutes later when Flaine was down on the floor where the Jumper sat. The steam had intensified and the lights were now green. The ring was filled by a green wall of energy as it sat, ready for Flaine to cross it's threshold.

"Okay Doctor. Coordinates are set and the exit space is confirmed. Ready when you are!" Drake said over the ship's intercom.

Flaine, now dressed in a bright red EVA suit, complete with a bubble helmet, turned and gave Drake a thumbs up. "Copy that, buddy." He turned back to the Jumper and breathed out slowly as he walked closer. "I'll contact you when I'm ready. Keep the ship warmed up and ready for when I get back, this first one might freak out a bit."

Drake silently nodded as Flaine walked into the portal, then frowned when the Jumper automatically turned off. "Good luck, sir." he said with a sigh.

* * *

 **-December 11, 2552/ Rear Half Of FFG-201 _Forward Unto Dawn_ -**

"Chief? Can you hear me?"

The Master Chief shook his head. The last thing he remembered was escaping onto the Forward Unto Dawn with the Arbiter and then flying towards the portal to Earth. Then everything had gone white. He reached his hand up and clicked on his helmet's flashlight.

Cortana, his AI companion, that rested within his suit of MJOLNIR armor, breathed a sigh of relief as he moved to look at a large hole in the hallway they floated in.

"I thought I'd lost you too..." She says to the man.

The Master Chief moved himself along towards his assault rifle and holstered it across his back. He blinked a few times as he shook of the headache that was forming as he drifted to the end of the hallway.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. When Halo fired, it shook itself to pieces. Did a number on the Ark. The portal couldn't sustain itself, we made it through just as it collapsed..." She trailed off as the Master Chief reached the end of the hall. He looked out to the black of space as he realized the ship was sheared completely in half, some of the deck plating still red hot from the sudden collapse of the slipspace portal. The Chief sighed as he stared out, knowing what that meant: they were stranded.

"Well... some of us made it," Cortana said grimly, finishing her thought.

The Chief turned and continued drifting down the halls of the ship, following the signs on the walls as he floated. He eventually found a cryo bay and made his way inside.

"But you did it. Truth and the Covenant, the Flood..."

The Chief pulled Cortana's AI chip out from the back of his helmet and plugged it into a holotank that sat in the middle of the room. The tank lit up as Cortana's avatar was projected onto it, flickering slightly at the low power in the ship. She smiled at the Spartan and held her hands together in front of her.

"It's finished."

The Spartan clicked off his flashlight and nodded. "It's finished," he agreed. He turned and floated over to a cryo tube, placing his weapon in a racket on the wall and opened the tube.

"I'll drop a beacon. But it'll be a while before anyone finds us." Cortana frowned at that and looked down towards the floor. "Years even..."

"I'm afraid you won't have to wait long."

The Master Chief quickly sprung into a flurry of movement at the new voice. Grabbing his assault rifle, he clicked off the safety and aimed it towards where the voice had come from. Behind the holotank was a man wearing what looked like a red spacesuit, he leaned against another cryo tube in the back of the room and was smiling.

"Who are you?" the Chief barked as his magnetic strips in his boots were turned on. His feet slammed into the deck and he made his way over to Cortana. Watching the man intently, he grabbed the AI chip and plugged it back into his helmet and turned his light back on to look at the man.

"Relax, soldier. I mean you no harm," the man said as he stood up straight and raised his hands. "My name is Dr. Martin Flaine, and I have a proposition for you."

Cortana stared at the man through the camera in the Master Chief's helmet and frowned. She hadn't detected the man at all when they entered the room. He had somehow got into the ship completely unnoticed, without being detected by the motion tracker in the Chief's armor. He looked harmless, with no visible weapons on his person, though she still was nervous. She decided to trust the man and spoke to the Chief privately.

"John, lower your gun. I think he's safe."

The Master Chief's eyebrow raised in suspicion at the idea, but he decided to listen to his friend. He lowered his rifle, but continued glaring at the man behind his visor.

"How did you get here?" The Chief asked.

The man chuckled and grinned. "Well that, hmph, is a secret. But know this 117, that I can help you get home."

The Chief flinched at the mention of his Spartan number. How did this man know him? He knew that he had never met him, though it was obvious that he knew the Chief. "How do you know that number?" John asked angrily.

"There are a lot of things I know, 117. For example, I know about Halo, The Ark, The Flood." He paused and pointed to his own head, tapping on his helmet a few times. "And I know about you, Cortana. There's no need to hide, I'm here to help, truly I am."

At this point, both Cortana and the Chief were dumbfounded. The Chief was quiet, though Cortana was very curious and decided to voice her concerns. "Alright then, why should we trust you?"

"Because, I'm the only person capable of getting you to Earth before you rampancy sets in, my dear."

Cortana froze. She knew that Rampancy was inescapable. All 'Smart' AI's went through it. As she thought about it, she realized that within just 3 years it would start to affect her, starting her down a path that would eventually lead to her 'death.' But, if what this man said was true, then maybe she could avoid it...

"John, what do you think?" She said to the Spartan.

"If he can stop this Rampancy, then I'm open to suggestions."

The man smiled under his helmet and clapped his hands together. "Wonderful!" He made his way over to the holotank and hopped on top of it, his legs dangling over the front of the small tower.

"What is your proposition, Dr. Flaine?" Cortana asked.

"I need your help," he paused and sighed, then began telling the two about where he was from, what he was, and The Corruption. It took a while, but he wanted to make sure that the Spartan and AI knew the whole story before they made a decision. Throughout the entire explanation the two were silent, only the Chief nodded a few times as he was told the long tale. Cortana was equally interested, making sure to record every detail and file it away for later, just in case, as she knew it would help to be able to recall the information. Eventually, Dr. Flaine finished and sighed again as he shook his head slowly in sadness. He was silent for a few seconds before he looked back up into the Master Chief's visor with a hopeful smile.

"And that about covers everything." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

The Chief pondered everything for a moment then he finally mustered the will to ask one more question.

"Will I be the only one you recruit for this project?

Flaine smiled and shook his head. "No, in fact you are the first of many, hopefully."

"Alright, I'll help," He paused and then spoke to Cortana. "How about you?"

"Well, saving Humanity from Halo, the Covenant, and the Flood were tiring... But, I suppose another ride wouldn't hurt."

Flaine laughed at the AI's response and stood. "I have a feeling you and Drake are going to be the best of pals." He lifted his wrist and pressed a button on the sleeve of his suit. Then not a minute later a large green circle appeared behind him.

"Well, we'd better get going. Drake can't hold this open for long." Flaine said as he turned and made his way towards the portal.

John was hesitant but followed him, but before the doctor entered, Cortana asked him one more question.

"Dr. Flaine, what does W.U.B.A.T. stand for? I mean I know it's the name of your project, but what does it mean?"

Flaine didn't turn, but he grinned under his helmet. "World's Ultimate Bad Ass Team. Why?"

"Just curious..."

And with that the Master Chief stepped into the portal, leaving the rear section of the Forward Unto Dawn drifting aimlessly in space.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Well, here is chapter one of a new story. This is going to be a huge crossover fic, covering many different things in terms of universes. I know I have it marked as a crossover between Halo and RWBY, but since those are going to be the first two categories, I thought I would mark it as that.

Anyways, I want to explain the idea behind this.

A few months back, a few of my friends and I started a Dungeons and Dragons campaign named W.U.B.A.T. The idea was that the players could choose from **ANY** universe they wanted, in terms of a character base. Whether it be from a video game, anime, TV show, Book, or something of their own design, I would let them be it, within a few parameters of course. However, slowly but surely, I realized that what I was trying to do would never be, the characters ended up becoming overwhelmingly complex, and we strayed far off the path of what I had envisioned for a storyline. So I eventually abandoned the main story that I had wanted to use altogether.

It was only until a few days ago that I realized what potential that the story had, provided I tweaked a few of the concepts. It was through that that I ended up creating this Fanfic. I know that it is probably a huge risk in terms of writing, but I'm optimistic. I really think that this could turn into something wonderful. I hope that my optimism pays off, allowing this to thrive into something that not only I am proud of, but that many other people will appreciate and enjoy as well.

So anyways, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this first chapter, and I hope you will stick around and take a look at the future chapters. I know it's a lot to ask, and I know I really have no right in asking, but please. Let me know what you think of this, leave me a review, follow/ favorite this story and go ahead and recommend it to a friend if you like it. All feedback helps me grow as a writer, and it also lets me know what I'm doing right.

And if you liked this, please go ahead and look at my other works of writing:

 **The Ranger And The Rose**

 **The Red Reaper**

 **Halo: A Long Time Coming**

Thanks again!

 **As Always,**

 **I'll See You Starside,**

 **Soul's Release**


	2. This Will Be The Day

**Author's Note:** Okay, just a few things before I get to this chapter.

 **First off:** I wanna say, Holy Crap! When I posted the first chapter of this, I was not expecting it to be as well received as it was. Honestly, I was thinking, maybe I get a few favorites within a week or so, but within the first 36 hours, it had 5 Favorites, 6 Followers, AND a review. So I want to thank those who liked it for taking the time to read it.

 **Second:** I went back and reread the first chapter and noticed an error. When I initially introduced the portal-thingy, I called it "The Dimension Skipper." However, after that I repeatedly referred to it as "Jumper," so I wanted to clarify that it is called the "Dimension Jumper." I'm sorry for any confusion.

 **Third:** I have created a Facebook Page to share updates about the progress of stories I am working on, or other important info. So if you want to stay updated, feel free to like the page.

Anyways, with all that being said, here's chapter 2 of WUBAT.

* * *

 **-Remnant, Beacon Academy, 6 1/2 Years After The Events of RWBY Volume 4-**

* * *

Ruby Rose stood in the Headmaster's Office of the newly rebuilt Beacon Academy with a large smile on her face. It had been nearly four years since team RWBY and the remaining members of team JNPR had taken on both Cinder Fall and Salem. They had won, albeit at a cost, and a heavy one at that. As happy as she was for what the day would bring, she knew there was still plenty of rebuilding left to do, plenty of lives to piece back together. While her and her team had been lucky, by no means had they come out of it unscathed.

Yang, her older step-sister, had just gotten used to her new prosthetic arm, but she still dealt with the occasional pains from the mount on her arm where the prosthetic attached. Her personality had returned, her party-hard, fun loving, joking self returning with it. While both Ruby and her father, Taiyang had insisted she take up a new line of work, she had quickly pummeled that idea, tore it to pieces, burned it, and buried it six feet under. She was now out doing the one thing she had set out to do almost seven years ago, when she had first come to Beacon, she was a professional Huntress, roaming Remnant and beating up on the creatures of Grimm.

Blake had chosen another, more peaceful way of life. Shortly after the final battle with Salem, she went home to Menagerie to take the lead of the White Fang, something that her team was happy to hear. After Adam Taurus's death, the White Fang was left leaderless and directionless, something that the other kingdom's had worried would only lead to more violence. Blake had put those fears to rest quickly, however; she had stepped up as both a hero and leader and made quick work of getting rid of the policies that Taurus had put into place. What weapons that had been stolen, were given back, as well as all the stolen Dust, and peaceful negotiations between White Fang missionaries and the various kingdom's leaders were started. It was soon after that the White Fang began flying it's original colors as well, the menacing red and white flag being replaced by the blue and white one's. Overall, the treatment and actions of the Faunus began to improve quickly, to the comfort of everyone.

But Weiss had done something that nobody had expected. After team RWBY and everyone else who had once gone to Beacon had celebrated their victory, Weiss returned home to Atlas. Her father, Jacques, had prepared to cut her off from everything when she arrived, though she had other plans once she had learned the truth behind the way the SDC operated. While Jacques had expected to lecture her on how she had disobeyed him and left home, he certainly hadn't expected for Weiss to come home with both the police _and_ a furious Winter. Winter had tore into him like a chainsaw tearing down a tree, screaming at him about how he had treated her younger sister before she had left to reunite with her team. After that, he had been arrested and the SDC was left without a CEO. However, the two sisters quickly surmised that the best course of action was to take control of the company together. After that, all of the Faunus who had been mistreated as an employee were recompensed and given ample time off, during which time, Atlesian Paladin androids were used as a temporary/ potential new source of labor. While most thought that that was a bad idea, it turned out very effective, with the Paladins being fully implemented when the employees were home or on break. Needless to say, the SDC was finally taking a step in the right direction.

Ruby, on the other hand, had been through a lot, both physically _and_ emotionally. During the fight with Salem, she and her team, as well as JNR and her Uncle Qrow had fought. And the memories still haunted her dreams to this day. It was during this fight, that Qrow had somehow found a way to teach her one last thing, before the witch struck him down. He taught her about sacrifice...

* * *

 **-3 1/2 Years Ago, Battle With Salem-**

* * *

Ruby could feel the pressure increasing as Salem held her high in the air by her neck, her throat being crushed slowly while her lungs burned. She clawed at the fingers that held her in a desperate attempt to break free, but Salem just laughed at her.

"You have been a thorn in my side for far too long, girl. I think it's time we ended this, don't you agree?" Salem grinned as she tightened her grip.

Ruby cried out in pain as she felt her windpipe collapse. She closed her eyes and tried to scream for either her friends or her uncle, but she knew they were busy fighting Cinder, so she was on her own. In a last ditch effort she lashed out and tried to scratch Salem's face, but the witch saw it coming and easily dodged it with another bout of laughter.

"So ends the journey of Ruby Rose... goodbye, little rose," Salem said with an evil grin.

It was then that Ruby heard Salem grunt in pain as Ruby fell to the ground. She coughed in pain as the air rushed through her injured throat and into her lungs, and looked up at Salem to see her uncle fighting her. Qrow moved in a flash swinging his scythe in anger, attempting to kill the woman, though she was just quick enough to dodge most of the attacks. Ruby turned her head in the hopes of finding Crescent Rose, to help, but it was nowhere to be seen. She mentally screamed in anger and looked back at the fight.

Qrow transformed into a bird and flew high into the air, almost at lightning speeds, then stopped at a height of almost one hundred feet. He stared at Salem a moment, who glared at him in return, then transformed back into a man with his scythe in his hands. He began freefalling quickly, the wind blowing his hair and clothes around like paper, and brought down his weapon as he reached Salem. There was a loud boom as his scythe was embedded into the ground, followed by the sound of sinister laughter. He turned and saw Salem behind him with a large black spear, made out of crystal, and she was grinning again as she looked into Qrow's eyes.

"You missed, old man," She said simply. Then before either Ruby or Qrow could react, she jammed the tip of the spear into Qrow's abdomen.

Both Ruby and Qrow screamed, while Salem twisted the end of the spear inside Qrow's stomach and smiled. Salem looked over to Ruby and smiled at her, then wrenched the crystal from the man's stomach with a sickening squelch. Qrow stumbled backwards, letting go of his scythe as he did, and then dropped to the ground in a heap.

Ruby glared at Salem, tears streaming down her face, and balled her hands into fists as she felt her world shatter. She screamed, and a bright white light shot out from her eyes, enveloping everything nearby. The ground shook, as if being torn to pieces, and the surrounding air was filled with a searing heat, burning everything as the light spread. Salem's smug grin was replaced by one of shock and fear as she watched the girl's power being unleashed.

"That's impossible!" She yelled in defiance as she ran towards Ruby, her spear in hand. She didn't get far, though. The blinding light quickly enveloped her and she was soon set ablaze, her very skin being burned to ash, along with everything else that was once Salem.

The light quickly faded and Ruby dropped to her knees as her Aura was drained. She panted in exhaustion for a few moments, looking up as she did, and saw a pile of ash a few feet from her. She glared at it and then climbed to her feet as she remember her uncle. Her body hurt all over, but she still ran over to Qrow, scooping him up in her arms as she slid across the ground. She lifted his head and saw his skin was white as a ghost. His eyes were closed and blood sat in the corner of his mouth.

"Uncle Qrow! Uncle Qrow, wake up, please!"

The man stirred and slowly opened his eyes to look at his niece. He smiled stared at her a moment before he spoke.

"Hey there, kiddo," his voice was pained and sounded like it hurt to talk. "Did you get her?"

Ruby felt tears forming in her eyes as she nodded. "Yeah, she's gone."

"Nice job, I knew you could do it..." he closed his eyes and sighed.

It was then that the rest of team RWBY and JNR ran over to Ruby's side. None of them approached though, they knew all too well what was going on, and didn't want to bother the two. Yang, though, began to silently cry as she looked at her uncle, while the others just stared in silence.

"J-just hang on, Uncle Qrow. You're gonna be okay," Ruby said as she put on a fake smile.

Qrow laughed softly and reached his hand up to mess with Ruby's hair. "You're a bad liar, you know that?"

Ruby frowned and wiped away a few tears. "I did learn from you."

"Oh yeah..." Qrow was quiet for a second, then looked over to Yang with a smile. "I told you that you two were gonna go far. I'm glad to see I was right..."

Ruby tried holding back the sobs as her uncle died in her arms, but when Yang had come over and laid her hand on her sister's shoulder, the dam shattered. Everyone started to cry, in one way or another, but none of them as hard as Ruby.

* * *

 **-Present Time-**

Ruby sighed as she finished recollecting about the past and turned to enter the elevator in the office, to make her way to the opening ceremonies, but was stopped when the doors opened. She paused and quickly checked herself to make sure she looked presentable, then stood calmly behind the large desk. As the doors opened, a man wearing a brown trench-coat and a matching pair of blue sweatpants and tank-top, walked out. His red hair was messy and he looked as if he had been running for several hours. As he walked his arms hung at his sides, and he was grinning.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Rose," The man said smoothly.

Ruby smiled as she stared at the man for a moment, then nodded as she replied. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" She paused and watched as the man approached the desk. "Can I help you? I was just about to head downstairs, as I'm running a little late for the ceremonies." She explained quickly.

"Ah, sorry, of course, of course. I'll be sure to be quick, then." The man's grin disappeared and he began riffling through a few pockets inside his coat, then pulled out a what looked like one of the many scrolls that would be found throughout Remnant. "I'll just leave this with you, then."

Ruby accepted the object, cautiously, then looked at the man. "What is this?"

"It's a message. After the ceremonies today, go ahead and take a look at the video that is on it," the man turned and began to make his way back to the elevator.

Ruby stared at the scroll a moment, then tried to get more out of the stranger, but found he was already gone. She sighed and looked back down at the scroll, turning it around in her hands, before she pocketed it and left the office.

Once Ruby had made her way outside and to the stage outside of the school, she saw that her sister had been trying to delay the audience while she had been running late. Ruby quickly strode up to the podium and tapped on Yang's shoulder and took a position behind the microphone with a smile. Among the audience she could see the rest of her team, many of her friends, and her father, Taiyang. She grinned, softly, then cleared her throat and began the speech she had been practicing for the last week.

"Good afternoon, everyone," she paused and turned her head, looking at the many newly rebuilt structures around Beacon, then returned her gaze to the audience. "It's hard to believe that almost four years ago, all of this was destroyed and crawling with the Creatures of Grimm. But after many long years of perseverance and hard work we finally were able to reclaim what was taken from us... Our home..."

* * *

 **-Later That Evening-**

Ruby sat alone in her new office at the top of Beacon Tower, staring at the strange scroll that had been given to her earlier that day. Honestly, she was mildly concerned about the man who had come to see her, but at the same time, she also wanted to see what was on the strange device. After a few more minutes of thinking, she finally picked up the scroll and powered it up. As the screen lit up, a symbol of a double helix with a shield behind it appeared, rotating slowly, followed by a small square underneath. Ruby stared at it for a moment, wondering what else it would do, before she realized it needed something to activate it. Cautiously, Ruby placed her thumb on the square, then the screen flashed red and a video appeared on the screen, waiting to play. She shrugged and pushed the play button and watched as an image of the man from earlier that day, appeared on the screen.

 _"Hello, Ms. Rose. My name is Dr. Martin Flaine, and I am in need of your help. There is a dark force known as The Corruption, that seeks to destroy the very fabric of reality itself. You are one of many others, who I hope, will be able to help me stop it. I can't tell you everything yet; but know this: if you choose to help me, there is a high chance you may not see your friends or your family for a while, as there is a possibility you may perish. But, regardless, if you choose to aid me in my mission to stop The Corruption, meet me in the Emerald Forest tomorrow morning. I look forward to hearing from you, though if you choose not to accept, I understand, and I will not hold it against you."_

The video ended, and the scroll turned off quickly after, leaving Ruby to ponder what she had been told. If what the man had said was true, then she felt slightly obligated as a Huntress to help. But at the same time, she had a duty as the new Headmistress of Beacon to be at the school. Perhaps she could get Yang to come back and watch over things while she was gone...

Ruby pulled out her own scroll and dialed her sister, who quickly answered.

"Hey, sis! What's up?" Yang said from the other end.

"Hey, Yang, could you do me a favor?"

* * *

 **-Emerald Forest-**

 **-The Following Morning-**

"Good morning, Ms. Rose. It's nice to see you again."

Ruby found Dr. Flaine in a large clearing with a large green and black armor-clad person. The mystery man nodded to Ruby as she approached, to which Ruby waved back, but was otherwise quiet as Flaine continued.

"So, I assume you saw the video I left you?" He asked.

"Yeah, I saw it. And I decided I want to help," Ruby said with a smile.

Flaine nodded and raised his left arm, as he began pressing a series of buttons on a small arm-mounted device. "Wonderful, I was hoping you would," He finished pushing buttons and a large green energy circle appeared behind him.

"Whoa! What is that?" Ruby asked in awe.

"That, is how we will be moving about, for the most part. It is a portal created by a machine I built called the Dimension Jumper. It's very complex, so I wont go into the specifics. All you need to know for now, is that it will help us get from place to place."

"Cool," Ruby smiled as she stared at the portal, then shook her head and looked at the other person present. "And who is that?"

"Call me Master Chief," was the only thing she got as a response from the man. He then entered the portal, leaving Ruby and Dr. Flaine in the clearing.

"He doesn't talk much, don't worry though, he grows on you," Flaine explained. "Anyways, we'd better go, we have a lot to do, yet."

Ruby nodded and followed as Flaine entered the portal. Though she wasn't fully expecting to emerge into a spaceship. Needless to say, everyone aboard the _Sanctuary_ was subjected to a lot of impressed ramblings for quite a while.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Oh my god, I'm sorry this took so long to post. I have had a lot going on since chapter 1. I don't really want to go into specifics, so I'll just say that chapter 3 will not take me as long.

And again, I want to say thank you for all of the positive feedback and how well this story was received when it came out. Keep it up everyone, you guys are the reason I keep doing this. Thanks so much for your support and please feel free to leave me a review if you have questions, any ideas, or just wanna talk to me.

 **As Always,**

 **I'll See You Starside,**

 **Soul's Release**


	3. Take Me Out To The Black

**Author's Note:** Alright, ladies and gentlemen, like stated in the last chapter/update thingy, the winners of the poll were Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Isaac Clarke, and Lightning. So, this chapter will be introducing team member #3. I won't say who yet, so you'll have to read, But I hope I do the character justice in the way I write them. So without any more delay, I give you Chapter 3 of Project WUBAT.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **-3255 Aboard the Surveyor class Preservation vessel, _Sanctuary_ -**

 **-1 Day After Chapter 2-**

* * *

"Dr. Flaine. You are needed on the bridge."

Flaine was immediately called from the _Sanctuary's_ PA as he woke up fin his bed. The last 48 hours had been tiring. Over the course of the last two days he had tracked down only the first two candidates for the project, but already he felt exhausted from the work. He was starting to think that maybe the Jumper was having negative side effects from its usage.

"Dr. Flaine, did you hear me? You are needed-" Drake's hologram flickered to life in the middle of the doctor's quarters and crossed his arms impatiently.

"Yes, Drake I heard you. Just give me a sec, I'll be there in a few," Flaine said as he sat up in his bed.

"Very well, Doctor. Oh, and our other passengers are awake and roaming the ship, I thought I should let you know," Drake said as he disappeared.

"Thank you Drake..."

Flaine swung his legs over the side of his bed and snapped his fingers twice, to which the lights in the room turned on as a response. The room was bathed in a pearl-white light, and Flaine sighed as he stood up and put on his trench coat. He walked over to a small vanity in the corner of the room and stared at himself in the mirror. His hair was all over the place and his eyes had small bags forming under them, a sigh of the amount of strain his body had been under the past few days. He closed his eyes and scratched at the side of his head as he began to run some water for cleaning himself up with then reached over to grab a brush for his hair.

"I'm getting too old to be doing this 'waking up early' crap..."

* * *

Ruby sat at a rather large wooden dinner table along with the holographic form of Drake, as she waited for a microwave to finish cooking some food for her. The small mess area was littered with many wooden crates and a few haphazardly placed chairs, an obvious sign that the room wasn't used often, while the kitchen portion of the room was adorned with many stainless chrome appliances, many of which she had no idea what they did.

"So Miss Rose, how are you doing today?"

Ruby quickly turned back to face Drake and raised an eyebrow at the hologram. "Oh, I'm okay. Just kinda freaked out about all of this..."

Drake chuckled at the woman and smiled. "Yeah, I bet. From what I know of Remnant, there isn't a lot of space travel, let alone inter-dimensional travel. So I'm sure all of this is quite bizarre."

Ruby nodded and played with her thumbs as she looked down at her lap. "Yeah... We've just not been able to go into space successfully. Dust doesn't work in the vacuum of space."

Drake's face contorted into a look of wonder as he tried to understand why the civilization of Remnant was so technologically behind, but a loud ding sound resounded from the kitchen and quickly caught his attention. "It seems as if your food is done, ma'am."

Ruby smiled at Drake as she got up from the table and made her way to the kitchen. "You don't have to act so formal... You can call me Ruby, you know. I won't mind, besides calling me 'ma'am' or 'Miss Rose' makes me feel old."

Drake frowned and looked at the floor. "O-oh. Okay. I'm sorry, Dr. Flaine insists I act polite so much, I guess I just got used to behaving that way..."

Having obtained her food, Ruby returned to the table and began to eat the small bowl of strawberry-flavored oatmeal. "It's okay. You don't need to apologize, I don't care if you talk that way. I was just trying to help you feel more relaxed when talking to people."

Drake smiled as he looked back up at the girl. "Th-thank you, Miss-... Ruby."

Ruby laughed lightly as the AI stumbled over his words, but quickly stopped and closed her mouth as she finished chewing a mouthful of food. She swallowed quietly then smiled. "I like you, Drake. You're funny."

* * *

Flaine eventually found his way to the bridge and found that both the Master Chief and Cortana were sitting in one of the few seats, examining the many navigational instruments that operated the _Sanctuary_. He stood in the doorway a moment and listened to the two talk.

"What I'm saying, Chief, is that I've never seen anything as advanced as these computers. Not even the Forerunners were this advanced when it came to their machinery."

The Master Chief sat and stared at the AI chip that projected the avatar of Cortana and hummed as he processed the information. "How is that possible? Weren't the Forerunners responsible for reseeding the galaxy after they fired the Halo array?"

Cortana nodded as she looked at a series of computer screens. "That's right, but this technology... I don't know how, but it's way more advanced than them..." She trailed off and stood there for a few seconds before she turned to look at the Spartan. "What do you think we should do?"

The Spartan was quiet a moment, but then stood and picked up the chip and placed it back into the back of his helmet. "We'll just have to hope the doctor was telling the truth about being able to help you."

It was at this point that Flaine stepped onto the bridge and cleared his throat, to which the Spartan quickly turned to look at the doorway.

" Like what you see?" Flaine asked as he strode over to a console near the center of the room.

The Master Chief relaxed and watched as Flaine tinkered with a few of the instruments. "You could say that. How long were you standing there?"

Flaine chuckled and turned his head to the side just enough so that he could glance over at the soldier with one eye. He smirked and turned back to the computer. "Long enough to know you don't believe me when I said I could help your AI with her rampancy problem."

The Master Chief crossed his arms as he continued to watch Flaine. "Sorry if we've upset you doctor. It's just, curing rampancy is something that not even Dr. Halsey was able to accomplish. And she created many different AI's."

Flaine shook his head and turned to face the Spartan. "No, no. You're quite alright. I understand if you're somewhat skeptical to the whole idea. But I was telling the truth. In fact, my own AI, Drake finished up the preparations for aiding your friend last night. He's waiting for you in the science bay."

The Master continued to watch Flaine in silence as the doctor examined the many instruments on the control consoles. After a few minutes, Cortana finally decided it was time to go see Drake in the science bay.

"Come on, Chief. Let's go, the quicker we get this taken care of, the better I'll feel about this whole situation."

John nodded before he turned and left the bridge. "I'll be back in a bit, Dr. I'm going to go to the science bay and get with Drake about the solution to Cortana's rampancy."

"Sounds good, I'll be here, Master Chief," Flaine casually waved the Spartan off without looking as he fiddled with a couple of navigation charts.

* * *

 **-Science Bay-**

 **-20 Minutes Later-**

* * *

Drake was busy going over a few of the specifications of Cortana's many programming and functionality matrices when the Master Chief walked into the science bay of the _Sanctuary_. So far he had been able to find, isolate and determine how to greatly expand her Riemann Matrix to the point of her not needing to worry about the effects of Rampancy for at least another 20 years. Essentially, he had found a way to expand the size of her 'brain.' He was quite pleased with himself, to say the least. While he knew little about Cortana, he felt that she would be more than overjoyed about the news. Drake was torn from his task when the Master Chief cleared his throat as he waited near a table near the entrance of the bay.

"Excuse me, Drake?"

Drake's avatar appeared in the center of the room, albeit it was slightly different, it was unmistakably the shape of the AI. His hologram was wearing what appeared to be a pair of thick black framed glasses with a large nose attached to the center, with what appeared to be a fake mustache under the nose. His head was adorned with a holographic hat that looked as if it were made up of a newspaper and he was grinning as he turned to face the Spartan.

"Oh, hey there, Master Chief. I was wondering when you would stop by,"Drake said with a small wave.

John stood and stared at the AI for a moment in silence, trying to understand why it looked so strange, before the giggling voice of Cortana resounded from the speakers in his helmet. Drake frowned at that and crossed his arms in annoyance.

"What's so funny?" he asked impatiently.

Cortana just continued to laugh while the Master Chief shook his head. "Um, Dr. Flaine said that you had found a way to assist with Cortana's rampancy problem?"

Drake's avatar flickered for a few seconds before his regular avatar appeared, with him still crossing his arms, though now he was smiling. "Oh yeah, got that all figured out while everybody was sleeping." He walked over to a terminal and stood next to it while the screen flashed a few different things on it's display. "Alright then, Chief. Just plug Cortana's data chip into the terminal and I'll start the program."

The Master Chief just stood and stared at Drake as the AI gestured towards an opening in the console. He was very uncomfortable with parting with Cortana after what Sergeant Johnson had told him before he died.

 _"Don't let her go... Don't ever let her go..."_

"Is something the matter, Master Chief?"

"Don't worry, Chief. I'll be alright," Cortana said, reassuring the man and tearing him from the memory of the Sergeant.

John shook his head, and reached back to remove Cortana's data chip from his helmet. "No, nothing. Just be sure to make it quick, please."

John walked over to the console and inserted the chip and within seconds the screen changed to show a long red progress bar that quickly started to change green. It wasn't going to take to much time, but the Master Chief was still nervous, which Drake could tell from the way the Spartan hesitated.

Drake was about to say something to comfort the soldier, when Flaine's voice crackled over the ships announcement system.

 _"Attention, could the Master Chief and Miss. Rose please come to the bridge, immediately? I have something that needs to be discussed urgently with you."_

The Master Chief looked back at Drake, who just smiled. "Don't worry, I'll have her all good to go for you when you get back."

John sighed and turned to exit the science bay and made his way to the bridge, where both Flaine and the woman known as Ruby were already waiting.

* * *

 _- **Sanctuary**_ **Bridge-**

 **-1/2 Hour Later-**

* * *

Ruby and the Master Chief stood on the bridge of the _Sanctuary_ , staring at each other in silence as they waited for Dr. Flaine to explain why he had called them. Ruby had her leg propped up against a wall and she was twirling a few strands of her hair around her finger, while the Spartan simply stood with his arms crossed a few feet away. The Master Chief was going to say something about it being to quiet, but then Flaine cleared his throat.

"Ahem, alright, real quick, before I get into the serious matters at hand, I want to know how the two of you are doing." He said as he took a seat in a black leather captains chair.

Ruby shrugged and smiled. "I'm alright, I guess. I'm just still getting used to all of this," she paused and lowered her leg, allowing her to stand up straight. "It's just a lot to take in, you know?"

Flaine nodded with a grin. "Yes, I figured you might be a bit overwhelmed when you first arrived. But honestly, you're taking all of this a lot better than I thought you would. However, if you need anything, be sure to let either Drake or myself know, and we'll help you out."

Ruby flashed a large smile before she nodded and looked at the Chief. "How are you handling all of this, Master Chief?"

The Spartan turned his head slightly so that he could see Ruby better and sighed. "I'm fine. I've spent years in cryo sleep and in space, so this isn't that big of a shock to me. Sure, the whole inter-dimensional travel aspect is new, but I'll get used to it."

Flaine raised an eyebrow at this, but decided to continue with what was important. "Okay, well, as both of you are probably wondering why I asked you up here, let's move on, shall we?" He stood and walked over to a nearby star-chart computer and pressed a few buttons, after which an image of a brownish-dusty colored planet appeared. "So, the next candidate for the team will be able to be found here, on the planet of Persephone. The _Sanctuary_ is already in position for the Dimension Jumper to execute the jump procedure so that when we emerge from the portal, we'll be on the planet. But, here's where it gets interesting." Flaine paused and looked at the other two in the room. "Would you two mind accompanying me, our final destination has some rather, undesirable characters that might find our intrusion unwelcome..."

Ruby raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Sure, sounds like fun, I guess," She walked over to the computer and examined the picture closer.

The Master Chief however, cocked his head to the side and lowered his arms. "Doctor, what do you mean, 'undesirable characters?' Where are we going?"

Flaine sighed. "I'm not gonna lie to you 117, where we're going is dangerous. There are people there that would sooner shoot a man than get to know him." Flaine rubbed the back of his head. "Which is why, I'm asking for you to come with. I'm not very good with a gun and frankly, I don't like guns as it is. I have my reasons, but this is why I need you. If I go down there alone, I could very well get injured."

It was then that the Master Chief's Head's Up Display (HUD) had a notification appear in the top portion.

 _Okay Chief, I'm good to go. Come and get me when you're ready._

 _-Cortana_

The Master Chief was quiet for a few moments before he finally responded. "Fine, but I need to get Cortana first." Then he turned to retrieve his AI companion.

"Marvelous! Alright, meet Miss Rose and I in the armory in 20 minutes then!" Flaine called.

Ruby turned and gave Flaine a quizzical look. "There's an armory?"

Flaine's face then donned a wide grin. "Oh yes, there is an armory..."

* * *

 _ **-Sanctuary**_ **Hanger Bay-**

 **-45 Minutes Later-**

* * *

"Alright, Dr. Flaine. The portal is open and ready for you!" Drake's voice called from the observation platform.

Flaine turned and gave the AI a thumbs up, then faced Ruby and the Master Chief. They both seemed a bit uncomfortable, which was understandable, seeing as Flaine had told them to leave their usual weapons on the ship. Though Flaine soon put most of their concerns to rest when he showed them the extensive armory that was onboard the _Sanctuary,_ in fact ruby had almost fainted from the sight of all of the different weapon and ammunition varieties within. It had taken a while but _eventually_ all three of them had settled upon a weapon to use while on Persephone.

Ruby had picked a .45/70 govt Magnum Research BFR revolver. She had wanted to take a .50 anti-material sniper rifle, but both Flaine and the Master Chief had told her no, seeing as they wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. Besides the revolver, however, Ruby had also grabbed a 6" serrated-edged combat knife. and tucked it away in her boot.

The Master Chief, seeing as he like automatic firearms had reluctantly chosen an older modeled black Bizon PP-19 Sub-machine gun that had an AKS-74 type folding stock on the back. He had also grabbed a few Mk 2 'pineapple' Fragmentation grenades that Flaine had in an old wooden box.

And while he had protested against the idea of carrying a gun, the Master Chief and Ruby had convinced Flaine to take a weapon with him as well. So, being the semi-pacifist, he had pick a simple .380 caliber Walther PPK. While both of the others had thought it was an odd choice, Flaine quickly justified his choice by telling them he had seen it in an old film and liked the little gun.

Now they all stood in front of the portal and were getting ready to go through and, _hopefully_ , not get shot. Flaine sighed before he addressed the two.

"Alright, before we go, remember, if things go wrong make sure you guys watch each other's backs as well as your own, not to mention try not to accidentally shoot me. I may be a doctor, but that doesn't mean I'm very fond of bullets hitting me," He paused when he saw Ruby chuckle at him but continued. "Right, so while we're there, please don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Both Ruby and the Master Chief nodded before they readied their weapons, just in case. Then they all entered the portal.

* * *

 **-Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Badger's Place-**

* * *

"Jayne! What have I told you about pickin fights?"

Jayne Cobb turned to look at his captain whilst still holding Badger by his shirt collar. He glared at the man and groaned.

"Aww, come on, Mal. I have had it with this Gorram weasel thinking he can push us around."

Captain Malcolm Reynolds was not having a good day. Today was supposed to be an easy payday. Go to Persephone to see Badger and get his money. It was a simple plan. At least, until the criminal decided he was going to skimp out on the agreed amount. Malcolm sighed and turned to his first mate, Zoe and made a face of annoyance, who just shrugged. All of them had guns aimed at them by Badger's goons and were getting dirty looks.

"Jayne, put Badger down this minute, or I swear you and I are gonna have words," Malcolm said in a firm tone.

Badger grinned, his face was bruised and bloodied from the many times Jayne had punched him, but he still grinned nonetheless when the captain spoke.

"Go on now, listen to the captain. Wouldn't want you to get into to much trouble, now would we?" Badger teased.

Jayne turned his attention back to the man and was about to punch him again, when a bright green flash appeared from behind him. Everyone looked in the direction it had come from and saw a large green and black robotic looking thing walk out. It was followed by a woman wearing mostly black and red clothes and a thin man wearing a large black trench coat. They all had very dangerous looking guns and were aimed at Badger's men in an instant.

Malcolm's eyes went wide and he lowered his revolver as he looked at the three newcomers.

"Huh..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And there it is! Damn this chapter took me way to long to write... but I'm very happy with the final product. This was the third version of this chapter that I went through and I have to say, it was a pain in my ass to have to constantly go back and change things repeatedly.

Anyways, yes! Here he is, the man, the legend, Captain Malcolm Reynolds, everyone! I hope you like the chapter, I really tried to make this a good one as I knew from the start of writing it, exactly how I was going to end this one, and I hope you liked the cliffhanger.

Also, I am terribly sorry this took so long to make. But as I said, this was my third different version of this chapter and I wanted to make sure it was good when it went out. So please forgive me for that. Also, I want to say thanks for reading and I would love it if you left a review letting me know what you think.

 **As Always,**

 **I'll See You Starside,**

 **Soul's Release**


	4. The Dark Flood

**-Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, Badger's Place-**

* * *

"Huh..."

Captain Reynolds lowered his revolver for a moment as he examined the three individuals who had appeared out of thin air. The largest one was a robotic looking figure, with many heavy looking pieces of olive colored armor, and an orange plate of glass on its helmet; the figure was also carrying a large black rifle that made Mal feel nervous. The second person was a woman, who was wearing a combination of black and red clothing, and to Mal's surprise she was wearing some sort of... dress? She was pointing a large revolver at one of Badger's guards and was glaring at Jayne. The last person was a somewhat normal-looking person who was wearing a matching pair of navy blue pants and a t-shirt under his long trenchcoat. He was currently unarmed, but had a really small pistol strapped to his hip.

The man in the trenchcoat, raised an eyebrow as he looked around the room, letting out a low whistle as his gaze rested upon Jayne, who had now dropped Badger and was scratching his head as he backed up.

"Well... I'd say that our timing was impeccable. Wouldn't you agree?"

The other strangers said nothing, instead they watched as Badger's men all pointed their own guns at the trio. Mal raised his revolver and aimed it at Badger before he cleared his throat, shaking off his surprise.

"Okay, then. Now, Badger, as much fun as it would be to sit here and shoot at each other, I think I'd like to get paid and get the hell out of here."

The bloodied criminal stood up and pulled a handkerchief out of his, now dirty coat and wiped some of the blood off of his face before, he too, looked at the newer people. "What the Hell is going on here?!"

The man in the trenchcoat raised his eyebrows and pulled a small box out of his coat and pointed it at Badger before grinning. "Sorry pal, today's just not your day." He pressed a small button on its surface and not a second later two small metal pins with thin wires attached to them, shot out and hit the crime boss in the back. A wave of electricity traveled down the wires and shook Badger like a ragdoll before he fell to the ground, his body still twitching from the shock.

Mal looked down at Badger and couldn't help but laugh as Jayne walked over to a wooden desk in the middle of the room and grabbed a silver briefcase that had their money inside. "Well, Mal, I guess it's payday." Badger's men had all but ran after their boss hit the ground, leaving them all alone.

Malcolm nodded then looked back at the man who had incapacitated Badger; he slipped his revolver into it's holster and walked over to shake the man's hand. "Well, I appreciate your help, stranger, but, may I ask what the hell is going on? And why are your two associates just standing there watching us, it's mighty creepy."

The man straightened a pair of goggles on his forehead and smiled as he shook the captain's hand. "Ah, yes. Sorry about the interruption, Captain Reynolds, how rude of me to not introduce myself," the man paused and placed his hand on his chest. "I am Dr. Martin Flaine, a... scientist, of sorts. And the two people behind me," he pointed towards the woman. "Ruby Rose, a young woman with excellent combat skills for her age." Flaine then pointed at the robot. "And that is the Master Chief, who happens to be a supersoldier."

The captain gave a small nod to the other two and then pointed to his crewmates. "Nice to meet ya' doc. This here's-"

"Zoë Alleyne Washburne, former Browncoat, fought for the Independence in the Unification War as a part of the 57th Overlanders Brigade. Served under Captain Malcolm Reynolds at the Battle of Serenity Valley, who at the time was a Sergeant. Widow to Hoban Washburne, which by the way, you have my condolences. After the war, you joined up with the organization known as the Dust Devils for a short time, then eventually rejoined our good captain here aboard the Serenity and have been with him since."

Both Mal and Zoë, raised an eyebrow, but Jayne on the other hand placed his hand on a knife that he had hidden behind his shirt.

"Don't even think about. You pull that knife on me and both of my associates here will put so many holes in you, you'll be dead before _I_ hit the ground," Flaine cocked his head to the side as he threatened the man. Jayne let go of the knife in his hand and raised his hands in surrender. Captain Reynolds blinked a few times before he pointed slowly at Jayne without even turning.

"Right... well that's Jayne..."

Flaine's expression calmed as he nodded. "Yes, Jayne Cobb... your an ex-mercenary, used to do pretty much whatever you wanted until your gang attempted to rob the good captain. When he offered you a spot on the crew of the Serenity, you turned on your crew and joined Malcolm. Since then you've pretty much been sticking around," It was during Flaine's description that Jayne's hand once again traveled towards his knife, an action that both Ruby and the Master Chief had noticed as they were now aiming their guns at him.

"Don't. Even. Think. About it." The Master Chief clicked the safety off on his gun and stared at Jayne. "The Doctor wasn't lying. If you pull that knife, you'll be dead in seconds..."

Malcolm turned his head to look at the mercenary and gave him a quick look, to which Jayne responded by pulling the knife out and dropping it on the ground. Once he was sure Jayne was calm, Captain Reynolds turned to face the doctor. "Alright... now that you seemingly know everything about my crew, you mind telling me what you want, cause this is all getting a bit weird..."

Flaine grinned as he pulled out what looked like an old silver cigarette case from his coat, waved it in front of his face, then tossed it over to Mal, who caught it with ease. "Well, Captain Reynolds, if you're interested, I have a job for you and your crew."

Captain Reynolds clicked the case open and was surprised to see a card inside that was worth over 20 billion credits, enough for the crew of Serenity to retire from their life of crime and take it easy for a _very_ long time. "Now that's a whole lot of money..." Zoë had come over by now, and upon seeing the card, she too was impressed.

"Sir, is that what I think it is?" she asked, her gaze drifting back towards the doctor and his companions.

Mal closed the case and gripped it tight. "Yes, Zoë it sure does look that way," the captain said in a quiet voice. He cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. "Alright, doc, color me interested. Just what sort of job are we talking about."

* * *

 **-1 1/2 Hours Later-**

 **-Persephone, Eavesdown Docks, _Serenity-  
_**

"What do you mean the Captain and Zoë ain't coming? We can't just leave 'em here, Jayne!"

Jayne lifted his head and looked up at Kaywinnet Lee Frye, or Kaylee as she was commonly called. She had been more than confused when Jayne had returned to the ship and told her that both the Captain and the First Mate of the ship weren't going to be returning with him to _Serenity._ Apparently someone had given Jayne a large black duffel bag, full of ammunition, money, and several large guns, and told him to return to the ship and wait until he was called by Captain Reynolds over the radio. Jayne stared at Kaylee a moment as he took a moment to stop dragging the bag to wipe some sweat of his brow.

"Look, I'm just doing what I'm ruttin' told; now would you help me with this and shut the door?" He asked, obviously annoyed that she was still staring at him.

Kaylee shook her head and frowned, she knew she wasn't going to get much more of an answer out of the man and bent over to help him carry the bag across the cargo bay of the ship, finally setting it down several meters across the room next to a stack of boxes that were piled haphazardly and loosely strapped to the deck. After making sure that the bag was secured, Jayne reached into the bag and pulled out a long rifle with what looked like a night vision scope attached on top. It had a pair of bi-pod legs on the bottom towards the front of the weapon and also was equipped with an adjustable sliding stock and a carrying handle just in front of the scope. It was mostly a matte silver color, save for the scope, which was jet black; Jayne smiled as he examined the rifle and looked down into the bag at a large box that had several large bullets inside. Setting the rifle down, Jayne moved to pick up the box and pulled out one of the large brass bullets. The box was marked with a label that read '14.5x114mm Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot Rounds 16 Count.' Even Kaylee was now looking at the large rifle now, impressed by the design and size of the weapon, surprised by the fact that someone had _given_ it to Jayne.

"Holy smokes... that's a really big gun," she whispered.

Jayne nodded as he picked the rifle back up and removed the magazine from it with lightning speed. Within minutes he'd succeeded in loading the magazine with 4 of the large rounds and slid the magazine back into the rifle, racked the slide and chambered a round. He grinned as the metal made a loud **K** **LA-CLACK,** then aimed the rifle at a trashcan that sat outside a few dozen meters from the entrance to _Serenity_. Looking through the scope he lined up a shot and pulled the trigger. Instantly the air was filled with a loud **THADOOOM** as the large rifle spat out the bullet. A smoke trail appeared in the air as the trashcan flew into the air, performed several flips then landed unceremoniously on the desert ground, sending a small plume of orange smoke into the air.

Both Kaylee and Jayne blinked as the air around them reverberated with the echoing sound of gunfire. They were quiet for several seconds until Jayne finally lowered the rifle and smiled as he held it out in front of him.

"I'm naming you Vera II..." He said as he turned and took 'Vera II' to his quarters.

Kaylee shook her head as she thumbed the button to close _Serenity's_ bay doors. "Oh brother..."

* * *

 **-Still In Orbit Above Persephone, Aboard _Sanctuary-_**

As Dr. Flaine came through the portal onto the _Sanctuary_ , he cracked his knuckles and smiled before turning to see The Master Chief, Ruby, Zoë and Captain Reynolds appear behind him. A short moment later and the green portal shrank to the size of a quarter then disappeared completely. Ruby shook her head as she got over the slight feeling of lightheadedness, then smiled and disappeared in a blur of movement, the .45/70 govt Magnum Research BFR Revolver clattering to the floor, followed by a trail of red rose petals that led in the direction of where the blur had gone. Zoë and Malcolm stared disbelievingly at what had just transpired before them, then looked to Flaine for an explanation. He simply shrugged and sighed.

"You'll get used to it, she does it a lot." The Master Chief said, slinging his Bizon PP-19 Sub-machine gun across his shoulder and onto his back, where the magnetic strips in his armor activated and latched onto the gun and held it in place.

Captain Reynolds shook his head and looked to Flaine as he watched the doctor look up and whistled sharply. Immediately, the semi-transparent form of a boy appeared across the large room on a catwalk. The boy was wearing a pair of black gym shorts, as well as a plain green t-shirt, and smiled as his holographic form leaned against the railing of the catwalk and looked at the group.

"Oh, back already Dr? I understood that it was going to take you longer to recruit the new candidates. Change of plans?" Drake asked, concerned.

Flaine shook his head and nodded as he made his way across the room and began climbing a staircase to the catwalk. The others followed him up and they all waited to hear what the doctor had to say next. "No, everything is fine, Drake. Can you open up the cargo bay and prepare for new arrivals, then go ahead and prepare for dinner."

Drake smiled and nodded then looked to Mal and Zoë. "And what about them?"

"Go ahead and lead them to the cargo bay. They'll want to be there when our 'cargo' arrives. And Captain, you can go ahead and call Jayne now."

Drake nodded as Flaine walked of towards the bridge, and smiled at Captain Reynolds. "Hello, my name is Drake, Dr. Flaine's AI assistant. I help him operate and maintain the _Sanctuary_.If you'll both follow me, I'll lead you to the cargo bay."

The three of them started down the hallway towards the _Sanctuary's_ massive cargo bay, while Captain Reynolds keyed his communicator and called Jayne.

* * *

 **-2 1/2 Hours Later-**

 **-Cargo Bay of _Sanctuary,_ Still In Orbit Of Persephone-**

To say that Captain Reynolds was impressed when he saw that his ship _Serenity_ was safe and secure **inside** the cargo bay, would've been a massive understatement. The ship had large metallic looking clamps snugly attached to her sides and was rested upon an equally large landing pad that seemed as if it were floating in mid-air. The Cargo bay doors were open and Jayne as well as Dr. Simon Tam were busy unloading some of the ship's cargo onto a transport car, while River Tam sat in one of the transport's seats conversing with Kaylee, though it was mostly Kaylee talking and River looking around the massive cargo bay.

Captain Reynolds walked up to Jayne and patted him on the back with a slight amount of force and chuckled. "Well, look at you go... keep this up and I might just keep you around," Malcolm said jokingly.

Jayne frowned and rolled his eyes at the captain before placing a crate of food supplies onto the transport. "Oh ha ha..."

"No, I'm serious... you're doing a damn fine job, keep it up." Mal joked again.

Before Jayne could reply, Mal walked away and approached Zoë. "So... what do ya' think?"

Zoë was quiet a moment as she took a look around her and crossed her arms. "Honestly Sir? I dunno, seems like this Doctor is scared of something, and I don't just mean about this 'Corruption' thing he was talking about..." She turned and looked the captain in the eye. "I don't know if I trust him."

Mal nodded and took a moment to process what his First Mate had said. "Yeah... but come on, you saw how much money he's willing to pay. If he's got that much and is willing to pay each of us that much for this job, well Hell, I might just ask if he wants us to hang around for longer."

Zoë frowned and shrugged. "I guess. Whatever you wanna do, I'll back you up, Sir."

"I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

 **-3 Hours Later-**

 **-Dining Room, Aboard _Sanctuary_ , In Transit-**

Dinner that night was what Ruby had called 'very fancy'. Flaine had prepared a copious amount of food, including steaks, potatoes, a large salad, a couple of pies, and chocolate chip cookies; everyone was impressed with how the food looked, tasted, and smelled. Everyone was lively and talkative, getting to know each other better and enjoying each other's company; well everyone except for the Master Chief. He had taken his food to his quarters, saying 'he had things to do,' but Cortana, who was now able to interface with the systems of the ship, hadn't bought it and told everyone he would need some time to get used to being around what the Chief called 'civilians.' In any case, dinner went well, right up until the point where River started staring at Dr. Flaine. When Simon had noticed this, she just sat as still as a corpse, her gaze not wavering as she watched him. Both Simon and Kaylee tried snapping her out of her trance, but she didn't respond.

Captain Reynolds frowned as he looked to Simon. "What's going on with her?"

Simon frowned and shook his head. "I don't know, she hasn't had anything like this happen in months... I don't understand."

Before anyone could get another word in, River suddenly pointed her finger at Flaine and shot up out of her chair.

"The Dark Flood will sweep and wash the dead in the blood of the Preserver!" She yelled.

Everyone at the table frowned and watched as she ran off, leaving Simon confused for a short second before quickly following and shouting after his sister. Minutes passed as they all sat in silence, staring at each other, then they looked to Flaine, who was as pale as a ghost. Everyone jumped as a voice from behind them all rang out.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Flaine turned to see the Master Chief standing in the doorway of the dining room, his helmet was removed and his closely shaven brown hair was showing as well as his azure colored eyes, which were rested upon Dr. Flaine.

Flaine shook his head and frowned. "I- I don't know... but I don't like it." He said grimly.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

And there's the long awaited chapter 4! Sorry this one took a while, things have been crazy here at home and I haven't had much time to write. That and I was yet again going through a bad case of writer's block.

Anyways, I realized I never stated how big the Sanctuary really was, so to put it into perspective let's put it this way. If you were to take 1/4 of the UNSC Infinite from Halo and cut in in half so you had the top half of that 1/4, that's approximately how big this ship is. So before you ask, yes, the Serenity can easily fit inside of the cargo bay.

Thanks for reading, please go ahead and leave a review if you enjoyed it, all feedback is appreciated and helps me greatly.

 **As Always,**

 **I'll See You Starside,**

 **Soul's Release**


End file.
